Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Limousine Black vinyl LP in a heavyweight matte jacket. LP comes in dome patterned inner sleeve, wrapped in an IARC obi strip, and includes insert with photos and extended liner notes. 1st pressing of 333 copies. 2nd pressing of 555 copies. 3rd pressing of 555.
*Sold out in the US. Remaining orders ship from UK, & EU*
Includes unlimited streaming of Fly or Die via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
ships out within 7 days
Purchasable with gift card
$24 USD or more
Streaming + Download
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Purchasable with gift card
$10 USD or more
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Shiny compact disk in 4-panel digipack. Package features pictures from the recording session at Jaimie's sister's apartment, full production credits, and liner notes.
*Shipping from US Only*
Includes unlimited streaming of Fly or Die via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
ships out within 7 days
Purchasable with gift card
$12 USD or more
IARC0011 - Pigeon Shit Color Vinyl LP
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Limited edition, pigeon shit colored vinyl LP in a heavyweight matte jacket. LP comes in dome patterned inner sleeve, wrapped in an IARC obi strip, and includes insert with photos and extended liner notes. 1st pressing of 222 copies.
Includes unlimited streaming of Fly or Die via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Sold Out
A mainstay of the Chicago jazz scene and an active recent addition to the New York scene, Jaimie Branch is an avant-garde trumpeter known for her “ghostly sounds," says The New York Times, and for "sucker punching" crowds straight from the jump off, says Time Out. Her classical training and “unique voice capable of transforming every ensemble of which she is a part” (Jazz Right Now) has contributed to a wide range of projects not only in jazz but also punk, noise, indie rock, electronic and hip-hop. Branch’s work as a composer and a producer, as well as a sideman for the likes of William Parker, Matana Roberts, TV on the Radio and Spoon, is all on display in her debut record Fly or Die – a dynamic 35-minute ride that dares listeners to open their minds to music that knows no genre, no gender, no limits.
“It’s a true joy to listen to Jaimie Branch’s Fly or Die. Jaimie’s masterful trumpet playing sits at the helm of this gorgeous record, richly supported by a stellar cast of musicians, and upheld by strong and provocative composition.” – Sarah Neufeld (Arcade Fire)
"Super out tunes that continually open new doors to strange, sweet, and psychedelic grooves. Band is constantly cracking some ancient alien code here. Seamless and effortless compositions from Branch. An absolute “must jam” for anyone interested in the future of mind expansion." – Ryley Walker
“Fly or Die
Fleet footed solar cry
Breath of a neon dragon
Stomping Whaling Kryptonite
Delicate as thin ice on the rim of a red rose petal
Shatters all
Fresh as the beginning after the end of the world
Sonic sowing
New clay
Pot of gold
Die or Fly
You choose”
– Rob Mazurek
In January of 2016, Jaimie Branch launched a monthly free jazz series with a new ensemble at Brooklyn’s now debunked Manhattan Inn. Sharing the first night of her series with a trio on tour from Chicago (Nick Mazzarella, Anton Hatwich and Frank Rosaly), the trumpeter Branch assembled a quartet to match: cellist Tomeka Reid, bassist Jason Ajemian, and drummer Chad Taylor. Between visitors and expats, it was a night of performers exclusively from The Windy City. “I wanted New York to hear what Chicago sounds like,” says Branch.
Though the format that first night was free, by the time International Anthem family returned to New York to record her in June, Branch had refined her improvised melodies into a suite of themes for to be played by that same quartet. Engineers David Allen & Dave Vettraino recorded the band over an afternoon at Branch’s sister Kate’s apartment in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Branch post-produced those recordings, added overdubs, blended in live takes, cut and stitched the music into its final structure at Vettraino’s home studio in Chicago in July. The finishing touch was her totally bizarre, totally brilliant commissioning of acoustic guitar overdubs by Chicago friend Matt Schneider (Moon Bros). His brief classical plucking of strings, the epilogue in “…back at the ranch,” perfectly caps the dynamic manic-depressive journey in true Jaimie Branch fashion. She's making light of a heavy situation.
Regardless of a relatively prolific and consistent decade-plus career performing, composing and collaborating with a lengthy list of jazz world notables, this album is Jaimie Branch's first final work as a leader. Over a dozen friends from Chicago to New York came together under her direction to bring it into being, and the genuine depth of character present in every element makes it well worth the wait. A categorical movement of courageous ascent, Fly or Die conveys a lifetime of experience in a singular suite.
released May 5, 2017
Fly or Die is:
jaimie branch - trumpet
Tomeka Reid - cello
Jason Ajemian - bass
Chad Taylor - drums.
Cameos by:
Matt Schneider – guitar
Ben Lamar Gay – cornet
Josh Berman – cornet
Recorded & Mixed by Dave Vettraino & David Allen
Edited by jaimie branch & Dave Vettraino
Mastered by Shelly Steffens
Cover Art by jaimie branch & John Herndon
Cover Design by Damon Locks
Layout & Liner Design by Craig Hansen
Insert Photo by Peter Gannushkin
Liner Photos by David Allen & Scott McNiece
Executive Producer: Scott McNiece